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Welcome!
To me, there is nothing more precious than our family.
We are all connected in some way, like the branches of a tree. This site explores those branches, sharing family stories and information - both known and yet to be discovered - so we can meet the people behind the names and gain insights into our own lives. If you have questions or wish to share your own memories or photo about a family on this site, please leave a comment, or contact me.

Monday, February 13, 2012

These two cabinet card photographs are part of a larger collection of “mystery pictures” that belonged to my great-great grandmother, Catherine (O’Grady) Perrotin. From the dates on the back, it appears she received the photographs while living in Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico, perhaps as she was preparing to move to England in 1895 to join her daughter, and son-in-law, Maria Dolores and Timothy Bennett. At that time, she would have been about 53 years old. Of course, it is also possible that the pictures were sent to her after she arrived in England. Both pictures were taken in Orizaba, at the Lucio Díaz studio.

The photograph above, taken at the Lucio Diaz Studio in Orizaba, Veracruz,Mexico, is identified as an "Instant Portrait."

The men appear to have been friends or co-workers of my
great-great grandfather, Charles Jacques François (“François”) Perrotin, who
was a mechanic for Ferrocarriles
Mexicanos, the Mexican Railway System, at Orizaba Station. (François died in Orizaba on May 25, 1891, of meningitis.) Timothy Bennett, Maria Dolores's husband, also worked for Ferrocarriles Mexicanos as a train engineer. All appear to be either American or European, perhaps British, French or Irish. This is especially plausible, given that these groups engineered and built the Mexican Railway line from Veracruz to Mexico City.

In the first picture, the two gentlemen appear to be dressed
in conductors’ uniforms, wearing ties, pocket watches, and pinstripe
suits. The bowler hats they
are wearing would suggest that these are not their official portraits, as they
would be wearing conductor’s caps instead. There is no identification or dedication on the back of the card, except for the name of the photography studio.

“I dedicate
this portrait to Mrs. Perrotin as proof of the affection of her friend, Cook.”

The dedication is dated June 29, but the year is illegible. Cook appears to be wearing the uniform
of a railway worker, perhaps a conductor, but we cannot be sure. I am not good at guessing ages but would
estimate that he was somewhere between his late thirties to early fifties - a wide range, to be sure.

In an intriguing coincidence, a father and son with the
last name of Cook appear in the
1860 United States Federal Census, as neighbors of the then-newly marriedPerrotins in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Thomas Cook, age 74, appears to have been a gardener (though the writing
on the census form is unclear) who came to America from his native England in
1808. His son, Robert Cook, was 18
years old and a native of Indiana.
Interestingly, he is listed as a “Gin Maker.”

Perhaps the Cooks and Perrotins were good friends. Could the son (and possibly the father)
have gone to Orizaba with the Perrotins? If Thomas Cook did go to Mexico, even at his advanced age, it is unlikely that he worked there. But Robert, who was about a year older than Catherine, would have been young enough to embark on such an adventure, either working on the Mexican railway with the others, or in another profession...

If anyone reading this has any thoughts on the identity of these men or suggestions for where to look next, I’d
love to hear them.

Do you know these men? Did you know, or are you a member of the Cook, Perrotin, Bennett, or O'Grady families? Or did someone you know work on the Mexican Railway in Veracruz? If so, share your memories and comments below.